Cotton cleaner and drier



June l2, 1928. l 1,673,341

, M. P. SCOTT COTTON CLEANER AND DRIER v Filed Aug. 23, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l 51H0: ms

June l2, 1928.

M. P. SCOTT COTTON CLEANER AND DRIER Filed Aug. 23, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patenten V.'Ium.l 12, 192s.

UNITED: STATES vPnTiiNT oFFicE.

MORSE P. SCOTT, OF WOODVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO BESSIE SCOTT WILLIAMS, 0E TUNICA, MISSISSIPPI.

COTTON CLEANER AND DRIER/ This invention relates to cotton .cleaners `and-driers of the type designed to be located between a gin or a battery of gins and any suitable type of mechanism for feeding cotton thereto.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a novel and improved type of cotton cleaner andfdrier. l

lMore particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide in a cotton cleaner and drier of the ty e described, means for removing from the seed cotton a large portion 4of the dirt and trash accumulated therein and at the same time to break up the bolls and better separate the cotton for treatment in the gins.

Another object of this invention is to provide al cotton cleaner and drier having a novel means for feeding the cotton thereto without breaking the suction in the feed pipe.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cotton cleaner and drier having means for feeding the cotton from the suction pipe to the cleaning mechanism without the use of valves, etc., and yet maintaining n the full suction.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a cotton cleaner anddrier of the type described, heating means for evaporating the moisture from the cotton with novel means to maintain a circulation of heated air through the cotton to dry it while it is being cleaned. f,

For an understanding of this invent-ion, reference should be had to the following lspecification takenfin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein is disclosed, by Wa of example, one embodiment of the invention, and Ait is to be understood that various modiiications and changesmay be made therein .without departing from the scope of the inventions, as setl forth in the appended claims.

n said drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a cotton cleaner and drier constructed according to this invention.

, Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through such a cleaner and drier.

Figure 3 is -a transverse vertical section e .on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a partial horizontal section on line 4--4 of Figure 2. l

Figure 5 is an end elevation on an en'- -suction pipe,

larged scale of a part of the lcotton carrying. belt, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a bearing adjusting device for various of the cylinders.

In the process of ginning cotton, .more especially in the smaller communities, it is customary to provide a battery of gins, t0 which` the cotton is usually fed through a suction pipe directly from the farmers wagons, and passing from this suction pipe into a cleaner, one of which'is mounted above each gin for the purpose of removing such foreign matter as dirt and sand, which may have 2been splashed on the cotton during a rain, twigs, leaves, parts of bolls, etc.; all of which may be detrimental to the gin and would necessitate the handling of an extra quantity of material if they were not removed before ginning.

This invention contem lates the provision of a cleaner,l which if esired may be applied to an individual gin, but is particularly adapted to clean all of the cotton supplied to a bank or battery of gins, and in addition is' provided with means to dry the cotton, if necessary, thus enabling the gins l to work more effectively and to produce a better quality of cotton.

It is the usual practice to have a large one end of which is placed in the wagon' containing the cotton, and the other end being connected to a fan, the gin stands being placed intermediate the ends of this pipe, and each one sliunting olf a `portion of the cotton sufficient to keep it operating at full capacity. The device of this invention is adapted to be interposed in such a suction pipe, as shown at' l0 in the drawings. At the far end of this suction pipe, there is arranged the suction fan 11 driven from any suitablesource of power and adapted to draw cotton through the pipe 10 from wagons or any other source of supply.

The cleaner properl is enclosed vin an outer casing 12 of box-like formation, which may be formed of wood, or any other suitable material which serves to completely enclose the mechanism, with the exception of the drive and the blowers. This box is rectangular in horizontal section, but has a. Vfshaped bottom, such as shown at 13 in Figure 3. The suction pipe 10 passes longitudinally through the casing l2 near t e top thereof, and at the rear of the casing there 1s interposed in this flue an enlargement lll, such as shown in horizontal section in Figure Il, extending the full width of the casing and having a hat bottom. Cotton is prevented from passing through this enlargement to the fan by means ef the upper half of a horizontal drum i5 projecting through an opening in the' bottom and which is mounted for rotation on a shaft 16 passing through the side walls of the easing.l rlihis drum is of suliicient length to prevent cotton passing between the ende thereof and the side walls of the enlargezznent and rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2 lts outer covering is perforated metal in order that the air earning in the suction pipe with the cotton may pass therethrough to apply a suction to the cotton. rllie upper wall of the enlarged portion 14 of the flue is formed of suitable flexible material, such as leather, rubber, or canvas, and is drawn by the suction so that it presses tightly and tangentially against the top of the drum 15 to thus prevent the escape of cotton by this drum. Cotton being drawn through the pipe 10 reaches the enlargement and spreads out over. the drum 15 due to the suction, and a part of the dirt and dust is sucked out through the perforations in the drum and passes out through the fan 11.

ln order to maintain the suction entirely above the center of the drum 15 in order that the cotton may be stripped on' below the center more readily, and also to prevent the leakage of air into the flue, which would render ineffective its action on the cotton,

there is mounted within the drum a horizon- Ital plate 17, fastened rigidly to the sta tionary shaft 16 and forming in effect an extension of the flat bottom of the enlargement to Close the openin therein. It carries at its two edges the aps 18 formed of leather, or any other suitable material, pressed tightly against the inner wall of the drum casing to form an air-tight joint between the drum casing and the plate 17. Inorder that the drum may rotate, it is carried upon roller bearings 19, mounted between the stationary shaft 16, which earries the plate 17 and the spiders 2O of the drum. Both edges of the opening in the bottom" of the enlarged portion 14 are provided with air-tight flaps 21, 21', the flap 21 being loose enough to allow the cotton to pass between it and the surface of the perforated metal drum, in order that it may come between vthe drum and the stripping roller` 22, also running in a clockwise direction, and beingmcovered on its outer surface with leather or rubber for the purpose of stripping the cotton from the drum. It will be noted that asthe cotton passes below the center of the perforated drum, it is released from the suction, and hence may be readily removed from the surface of this drum by i, the stripping roller.

amasar The roller 22 serves to feed the` cotton in the form of a thin sheet or bat onto the surface of a rapidly moving Slat-like belt, which passesl around the three large drums 23, 24 and 25, all of which rotate in a clockwise direction, and under the two smaller drums 26 and 27. These drums 23 to 27 inclusive are rotatively mounted on the shafts 23 to 27 inclusive, which pass out through journals in the walls of the casing, which journals may be adjustable for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Arranged around the drums 23, 2i and 25, as shown in Figure 2, is the belt 28 formed of slats 29, as shown in Figure 5, linked together as at 30 by narrow link members in order to provide spaces between the slats through which dirt and trash may fall. lt is to 'be understood that this particular form of belt is `only illustrated by way of example and that numerous other types may be used, such as a braided leather belt, or a chain type of belt, or even a slatted belt in which the slats which the fiat sides of the slats 29 are litted, the bearings of the two end drums ben ing adjustable longitudinally of the casing in order to Vary the tension upon the belt. By referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that this adjustment may be readily provided 'by mounting the bearing block 56 in a slot 57 in the mounting 58 which is secured to the side wall of the cleaner. Screws 59 bearing on opposite ends of block 56 serve to maintain it in' adjusted position or to change its position for the purpose of tightening the ybelt. be covered with perforated metal, such as that on the drums 23, 24 and 25, but it is preferable that they may be provided with slats substantially like those forming Ithe belt. These two drums may have their bearings adjustable vertically by the same means disclosed in connection with the drums 23 and 25 and shown in Fig. 6, in order Ato vary the pressure with which they rest upon the belt.

The cotton after leaving the stripper roll 22 is carried by the `drum 26 onto the belt on top of the drum 23 and passes between the belt and the drum 26, then over the drum 24 and between the belt andthe drum 27 and around the drum 25 to a point where the cleaner roller 31 removes it. This roller is journalled upon a transverse shaft 32, revolves in the same direct-ion as the drum 25, and is adapted to remove the cotton from the belt and feed it down the slide 32 to a gin, or to a mechanism for distributing cotton to a number of gins.

The two drums 26 and 27 may llo exert a pulling action upon the cotton to more fully separate the bers and loosen the dirt. It will be seen that the slatted surfaces of the drums moving over the slatted surface of the belt will cause a snapping action of the belt or a shaking and vibrating similar to the action of a sitter, in order to more readily shake the dirt out of the cotton and through the slats in the belt, from which it will fall onto the lower reach of the belt and be shaken through.

In Figure 1, there is shown one suitable method of driving the various parts of the mechanism. Since theshaft ofthe drum 15 is stationary, it is driven by a pair of gears 33 at the ends of the drum inside of the casing, which are adapted to be meshed by a pair of pinions 34: mounted upon the shaft 35 which may bedriven from any suitable source of power, not shown. Suitable chains or belts, such as 36 4and 37, running over sprockets or pulleys on the shafts 26 and 27 servefto drive7 the two drums 26 and 27 from the shaft 35. A crossed belt 38 drives the drum 23 and this is connected by the belt 39 to the drum 25. A -belt 40 drives the stripper roller 22 from the drumv 23 .and a chain or belt l5 serves to drive the cleaning roller 31-from the drum 25. Any other suitable typecof drive may be substituted for that whichis shown by way of example only. llt is believed lthat the operation of the devicelwill bel obvious from the above explanation. lit may besaid that the cotton coming in toward the left in Figure 2 is caused by suction to-spread out in an even layer over the surface of the drum 15 which is rotating in a clockwise direction, some of the dirt being then sucked out. 'lhe cotton then passes between the drum and the Hap 21' to a point where it is removed from the action of the suction of the :tan 11.1 lt is then stripped ed of this drinn by the covered 'stripping roller 22 and applied to the surface of the drum 26, whic carries it down between the drum and belt, and. from thence it follows the belt until taken ed by the cleaning roller. 31, being in the meanwhile thoroughly shaken, rubbed, stretched andtype of conveyor 46 .driven by any suitablel means, not shown, and adapted to discharge into the dirt outlet 47, thus carrying out all of the dirt cleaned irom the cotton,

, A A but the cotton does not always arrive at the mills in that' condition, owing to rainy seasons, etc. For the purpose of drying the cotton while it is being cleaned, it has been v found desirable to provide steam heating pipes upon the two sides and top of the cleaning casing, and for this purpose, the longitudinally arranged pipes 48 extend subF stantially from end to end of the casing just inside of the outer wall thereof and cover the two longitudinal sides and the top, and are connected at their opposite ends by return bends in order to forni a continuous y steam pipe. Ithas been found desirable to divide this pipe system into two sections, one-half on one side, and one-half on the other of the casing, in order to better gaugel the quantity of heat supplied to dry the cotton. Live or exhaust steam may be sup-l plied to one end of each section of these heating pipes, and the opposite ends may be provided with a trap or escape of any suitable type to carry the condensed water back to the boiler, means being provided to regulate the amount of steam flowing through the pipes in accordance with the moisture in the cotton. l

lnorder to prevent the possibility of the cotton coming in contact with the heating 'lo prevent the admission of too much air and also to better guide the cotton the flexible naps 53 and 54 are provided between the roller 31 and `the edges of the opening through which the cotton is delivered. The Hap 53 will `move-aside to allow cotton to pass between it andthe roller. A strip 55 is arranged between the outer casing and the perforated lining over the cotton delivery opening to prevent cotton getting between these two parts. c i

lin the operation of this device, considerable dust is raised within the cleaner, and it is found desirable to provide a small suction Ifan, such as 50,y having an inlet 51 near the bottom of the casing. 'This fan serves to d rawin a considerable quantity of the dust and also to maintain a free circulation of the air which is heated by the pipes- 48 throughout the casing to more quickly dry the cotton. This ag1tation of air is also assisted to a large extent by the rapidly moving belt 28 and the rotating drums.

Any suitable manner of mounting and y supporting the devic`e may be used, and there i lt has been found highly desirable todev `liver the cotton to the gins in a dry state,

is shown 'in Figure 1 va portion of the legs 52 .upon which it may supported.. In' cases where it is to be used with a single gin, one end of 'it may be supported upon the gin stand with the chute 32 directly above the feed hopper of the gin.l

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by U. S. Lette-rs Patent is: .K

1. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a continuous suction flue, a horizontal enlargement therein, and a hollow cylindrical perforated drum having a continuous outer cylindrical surface, said drum being rotatably mounted 'with a portion thereof extending upward into and closing said enlargement against the passage of cotton, the remaining portion of said drum being open to the atmosphere.

2. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination,a continuous suction flue, a hori-y zontal enlargement therein having a flat bottom, a hollow perforated drum rotatably mounted with a portion thereof extending upward into and closing said enlargement against the passage of cotton, means within said drum co-exte'nsive with said fiat bottom to prevent the breaking of the suction in said flue, and a stripping roller contacting with said drum outside of said suction flue.

3. ln a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a suction due for delivering cotton, a suction fan at one end thereof, a horizontal enlargement, having a flat bottom, in said Hue, a hollow-perforated drum rotatably mounted with the upper half thereof extending through an opening in said bottom and closing said enlargement against the passage of cotton therethrough, Hexible strips between said dat bottom and said drum to form an air-tight joint, land a continuation of said Hat bottom within and making an airtight' connectionwitb. said drum.

fl. ln a cotton cleaner and drier, in combi? nation, a suction Hue, a horizontal enlargement therein, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to the suction of said due at said enlargement for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller contacting with said .drum along a portion of its periphery not exposed to said suction, a slatted belt, perforated drums carrying said belt, slatted drums above and contacting with said belt, said stripper roller feeding said cotton on said belt and under said slatted drums.

5. ln a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a suction due, a horizontal. enlarge ment therein, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to the suction of said due at said enlargement for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller contacting with said drum along a portion of its periphery not exposed to said suction, a slatted belt,

perforated drums carrying said belt, slatted drums above and contacting with said belt, said stripper roller feeding said cotton on geraete vmeans to vibrate said belt to shake the dirt out of the cotton.

6. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a suction flue, a horizontal enlargement therein, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to the suction of said `flue at said enlargement for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller contacting with said drum along a portion of its periphery not exposed to saidI suction, a slatted belt, perforated drums carrying said belt, slatted drums above and contacting with said belt, said stripper roller feeding said cotton on said belt and under said slatted drums, and means to drive said slatted drums at a different peripheral speed than said belt.

7. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a suction flue, a horizontal enlargement therein, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to theJ suction of said .flue at said enlargement for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller contacting with said drum along a portion of its periphery not exposed to said suction, a slatted belt, perforated drums carrying said belt, slatted drums above and contacting with said belt, said stripper roller feeding said cotton on said belt and under said slatted drums, means to vibrate said belt to shake the dirt out of the cotton, and a conveyor below said belt to remove said dirt.

8. ln a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a suction ue, a horizontal enlargement therein, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to the suction of said flue at said enlargement for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller contacting with said drum along' a portion of its periphery not exposed to said suction, a slatted belt, perforated drums carrying said belt, slatted drums above and contacting with said belt, said stripper roller feeding said cotton on said belt and under said slatted drums, means to vibrate said belt to shalre the dirt out of the cotton, a conveyor below said belt to remove said dirt., and a suction device to remove dust.,

9. ln a cotton cleaner and drier, in cornbination, a closed casing, a cotton feeding suction due passing therethrough, a horizontal enlargement in said due, a rotatable perforated drum partially exposed to the suction of said ,tine for removing cotton therefrom, a stripping roller for removing cotton from said drum, a slatted belt within said casing, drums carrying and driving said belt to remove cotton from said stripping roller, drums above said belt and contacting with the top thereof, means driving said drums at a did'erent peripheral speed than said belt, a roller to remove the cotton fromsaid belt and deliver it outside of said casing, a V- bottom in said casing, a conveyor at the bottom of said ti to carry off dirt removed will from the cotton, and a suction fan to circulate the air in said casing and remove the dust therefrom.

10. vIn a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a closed casing, air operated cotton feeding, collecting and cleaning mechanism within said casing, and means to dry said cotton While cleaning it.

l1. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a closed casing, cotton cleaning mechanism within said casing, heating means near some of the walls of said casing in a dead air space, and stationary Walls finely perforated to maintain the cotton out of Contact with said heating means.

12. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in combination, a closedcasing, .cotton collecting and cleaning mechanism in said casing, heat pipes adjacent the Walls of said casing, perforated metal walls covering said piping, and means for circulating the air only in the compartment dened by said perforated walls to dry the cotton.

13. In a cotton cleaner and drier, in conibination, a closed casing, vacuum o erated cotton feeding and collecting mec anism therein, means to spread said cotton in a thin layer for cleaning purposes, and means to circulate heated air around and through said layer of cotton to dry it.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. 4

MORSE P. SCOTT'. 

